In the Background - CSI:NY

I'm working again.

Those are words I never thought I would be happy to actually utter, but I am.

I have now shot three episodes of The Suite Life on Deck. This show is doing 3 weeks on and one week off, and that worked for me this week when I was booked to work on CSI:NY for 6 days. CSI is shooting at an old closed bank in downtown Los Angeles near 6th and Spring. This bank gets used for many different shows because it has that classic bank look. It is, however, empty most of the time and that leads to us having to share it with the regular inhabitants.

Rats. Lot's of them. Big Gray Rats, with attitudes.

I saw one make its way across the bank on my second day on set. He just walked calmly as you please along the teller windows, counters, and under the set up for the sound man, who said, "What the Hell", and scooted up onto his chair. The rat didn't even slow down to watch the funny human. I followed him to an area where he slipped behind a pile of wood and then I went back to holding. Later that day, I followed another two rats who joined up with a third.

During a rehearsal, a single rat (though I did not actually ask if he was single) decided to walk across the set under the feet of actors, crew and cameras. There was much in the way of surprise, and many whoops and much laughter. The rat, in fact, received a standing ovation (mostly to facilitate running if the rat decided to head toward anyone).

Someone had fun the next day by dragging a fuzzy gray rat looking thing on a string and running it by people standing on set, or in the case of background, laying down on the floor. Good times.

Crew said that the last guy to turn out the lights at night opted not to walk slowly out the door, and was in fact escorted by many large gray critters. Nice of them to let us use their building for the show.

One last thing I thought was rather funny. From the beginning of my time with Central Casting, I listed my pant size as 38 X 34 (the 38 being the waist) even though the only way I could wear that was below the waist. In fact, I really wore a 42 X 34, but so deep in denial was I that I hardly noticed. Well in the last few months, I have lost 20 pounds, and some accompanying inches around the waist. So when I went to CSI:NY to work, and wore the wardrobe they provided, I discovered that the pants they gave me were too tight. I thought that they must have given me a 36, because I was just barely able to buckle them (though I was able to buckle them at the waist, rather than below). I checked the label on Friday, and it turns out I was only partly right. They were size 34. That was a nice way to end the week

Take care,

Phil...